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What distributors and manufacturers need to know about trash compactor rental

Friday, July 13, 2018

Five questions to ask before you lease or buy a commercial trash compactor

Before signing a rental contract for an industrial trash compactor there are several questions that distributors and manufacturers must consider. Whether you’re getting a compactor for a brand new site or replacing existing equipment, here are five questions you should ask.

1. Do you have liquids in your waste stream?

Self-contained vs. stationary compactors. If your waste stream includes significant liquids, perhaps from certain manufacturing processes, or the presence of food and beverage products, you’ll need to consider a self-contained compactor. Self-contained compactors are designed to retain liquids and control odors. If your trash is mostly dry, then a stationary compactor will be the best choice.

2. How bulky is your garbage?

Self Contained Compactor.

The importance of the ‘feed opening’ size. Before deciding on the right industrial compactor for your site, consider how bulky your trash is. You’ll want to make sure that your new compactor’s feed opening — the opening into which trash goes — is big enough to accommodate bulky items that are routinely part of your facility’s waste stream. If the feed opening is too small, the compactor can get obstructed, or employees will have to spend extra time deconstructing some items before they can be disposed. However, getting a compactor with a feed opening that’s too large could mean paying for more than you need. The lesson here: Know what’s going in your trash.

3. What facility constraints do you need to consider?

Several factors affect the kind of compactor that’s best for your site, installation costs, installation location and installation time. So before you sign a contract and agree to a delivery date, consider the following: Electrical: Do you have electrical power already in place to the location where the compactor will go, or will you need to arrange for that before the compactor is delivered? Concrete pad: Do you have an available concrete pad to place the compactor on. The weight of a compactor can damage asphalt over time, so a concrete pad is required. Is that already in place for your site, or will you need to have a new reinforced concrete pad poured first? Loading dock: Does your compactor need to be located at a loading dock? If so, you’ll want to consider a compactor that’s configured for and correctly sized for your loading dock. Weather enclosure: For efficiency and worker comfort, compactors in cold climates are often installed with a weather enclosure. This enclosure allows trash to be directly deposited into the compactor from inside the building, without having to expose workers (or equipment like forklifts) to the weather. Footprint size: For some smaller manufacturing and distribution facilities, the available footprint for a compactor may be limited. In those cases, a vertical compactor with a smaller footprint may be a better choice.

4 How much garbage do you produce and what’s the optimal trash compactor size?

Trash compactor sizes vary, so how much capacity you need is an important question to consider. If you find your compactor being filled too frequently, you’ll need more frequent pick-ups from your trash hauler, which results in higher costs. Likewise, if you expect the waste stream from your facility to grow in the near future, you’ll want to select a compactor big enough to deal with the increased volume. Capacity is one of the reasons that renting a compactor makes more sense than purchasing. By leasing your compactor, you’ll have more flexibility to increase or decrease in size as your waste equipment needs change.

5. What are your plans for maintenance and repairs?

Commercial trash compactors are heavy equipment. They require regular maintenance and service, and sometimes they may require repairs. Waste Disposal Solutions offers compactor rental and repair services because we have the resources and know-how to ensure your compactor operates properly. And when something goes wrong, we’re just a phone call away, so you don’t have to scramble to find a repair company that can make it to your site in a reasonable time.

These five questions will give you a much clearer idea of what kind of compactor you need and how to get it installed.
Want to know more about how to save money, time and hassle and get the right industrial trash compactor for your site? Call Waste Disposal Solutions at (336) 230-000 or chat online now.

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